Plead guilty, ask for mercy; it's only option

By Pastor Brad Butler
First Baptist Church, Pembroke

POSTED:September 21, 2010 4:09 p.m.

What an embarrassing moment it was. I took my test to the professor and said, “Dr. B, I’m sorry, but I can’t read the note you wrote me. What does it say?” The good man stammered just a bit, cleared his throat and finally said, “Brad, that note says that I had a hard time reading your writing. You received your grade because of your reputation.” Then he paused, laughed and said, “I think we both need to work a little bit on our handwriting, what do you think”Well, I was in full agreement on that issue. Not that I have done so well in the ensuing three decades. The fact is that the computer has been a lifesaver to me and to many secretaries. My handwriting still, to put it bluntly, is terrible. But here is the irony of it all. Would you believe that in grade school I received penmanship awards every year? My teachers noted my neatness and my attention to detail on more than one occasion. But taking notes in college messed that up. I began to write with speed in mind. It got so bad that I often had to have help from classmates to read my own handwriting. That entire last paragraph is made up of excuses and self-justification. I am trying to explain to you why my handwriting had deteriorated. I’m trying to justify allowing that to happen. I’m trying to erase blame or to blame someone else. And the fact is simple. It was my fault. I had gotten lazy. I no longer paid attention to detail. I got sloppy. One thing that we humans are good at is making excuses. “The dog ate my homework.” “The sun got in my eyes.” “Traffic was terrible.” And on and on they go. It has to be someone else’s fault. After all, I’m a good person. If you don’t think so, just ask me. I’ll be glad to tell you.And yet the Bible says, “There is none righteous, no not one.” It also says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The Bible is clear in its teaching that we are all sinners. We don’t like to admit it. Many are offended by the thought. But don’t you see. I’m not saying that we are as bad as we could be. But we are not as good as we should be. God is perfect and holy. And He is the standard by which we will one day be judged. And by that standard, we are all sinners. None of us is perfect.So what can we do about it? There is only one answer. Plead guilty and ask for mercy. And the good news is this: “God is great in mercy.” He wants to save us. We simply have to come to Him for forgiveness. That’s your best option. In fact, it’s your only option.